I know, I know. I promised to keep this blog updated regularly and I failed.

Sorry. I’ve been super busy.

That’s kinda what I wanted to talk about today. The last few months have been crazy busy at work and with gigs. It’s not an excuse, but I’ve been feeling very run down lately.

Ever felt like that? Just tired.

Like if you sit down, you might not have the energy to get back up.

Yea…that’s where I’m at.

So, how do I overcome this? Well, I’m by no means a master efficiency expert or anything like that, but the one person I know who is is my friend Beate.

Beate has her own Youtube channel called The Women’s Code that talks about things like this.

Here’s one of her videos talking about how to plan your time and carve out a balance between work and life to manage your time more effectively.

(don’t let the title put you off – it’s applicable for us men too!)

If you, like me, need to have a breather from running around like a headless chicken between family, friends, hobbies, work and a million and one other things, then follow Beate’s advice and I’ve got no doubt it will help.

So, unfortunately today hasn’t gone so well. It seems I’m having one of ‘those days’.

Here’s what went down. I got up, had some breakfast and headed for work. So far so good, right?

Well, it went downhill, fast.

Thanks to roadworks I ended up sat in traffic for about an hour which meant I arrived late on site.

Then came the icing on the cake. The building supplies we were hoping to get today didn’t turn up. And it’s not like they came in late, they didn’t come at all. Hate it when that happens (in the building industry it happens quite often I’m afraid).

I’ve got no problem naming and shaming them. Thanks a lot Screwix they’re re terrible when it comes to doing what they say….next day delivery my a*$e!

What that bascically meant was I spent the whole day sitting on my hands waiting for supplies that never showed. That’s a whole, entire day wasted.

People blame builders for being lazy… Well today we sat doing absolutely nothing all day, unable to work even if we wanted to!

Cue the guys from roller shutter repair london winding us up. “Do you actually use those tools you bring?” Haha very funny guys. (Friendly banter – they’re good guys really).

You can check out their facebook page here – worked with them plenty of times and they’re the best in the business.

But anyway, I don’t know about you, but I loathe wasting time that could be spent doing something productive. Me being a builder is a direct result of my keenness for working with my hands, and my dislike of idle time. Today, I got to do none of that. The worst part is that we’re now likely to be late on the project deadline.

Luckily, the band has a show scheduled for tonight, so I’ll be able to take out all of my frustrations on the stage. Check out our calendar if you’re interested in attending, it’ll be a great show and I’d love to see you there.

Now, here’s a little fact you may not know about me: I named my son after Freddie Mercury.

Yep, Ruth and I are both die-hard Queen fans, and I guess you could say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because when the music plays little Alex taps his feet along too!

In other words, loving Freddie Mercury is pretty much part of his genetic makeup.

I have amazing childhood memories of my father playing Aretha Franklin to me. I want to create similar memories with my lil one too.

Queen blaring out and mum and dad dancing around the house – what could be better? Oh wait, dad singing!

Haha. I’m sure the day will come when he cringes at the thought, but for now, jobs a good’un.

It should come as no surprise that I believe Freddie Mercury was one of the most amazing artists in the world of music, ever. Not only did he have an amazing voice, he was incredibly talented as a songwriter too. He created such complex songs that have made a lasting impression worldwide.

Even if you come across someone who has no clue about Queen or its lead singer, odds are they at least recognize that song. And that just blows my mind. Think about it, Freddie created something that has made a big impact in the world. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

As if that alone wasn’t enough, Mercury was also an incredible performer. He came alive on stage, singing his heart out, making the audiences go wild, captivating people with his energy every single time. He was flamboyant and outrageous, and he put on unforgettable shows. I wish I could’ve seen him live; from all accounts Freddie was something spectacular to behold. I mean, just take a look at this

Another thing that made Freddie Mercury great was that he wasn’t afraid to be himself. Though many people believe he was ‘in the closet’, the truth is that he never hid his sexuality. That had more to do with him being a private person in general than it was about hiding something.

Overall, the man was a legend. I could go on and on about the reasons I love Freddie Mercury, but I’m afraid this blog post would end up being way too long haha.

So anyway, let’s wrap it up like this… sadly the man himself is no longer with us, and there’s no way I can ever do him or his songs justice BUT…

I’m new to all this blogging malarkey so not really sure what to write. I’ll just start typing and see where I end up.

Today I was contemplating the effect our different wardrobe choices have on our minds.

I’m sure plenty of you have experienced this at least once before. I’m talking about how wearing a suit for work gets you in that ‘working’ state of mind, while putting on your workout clothes prepares you mentally for your daily exercise routine.

In my case, I have two outfits that represent entirely different aspects of my personality. On one hand, I have my regular builder getup. Steel-toed boots, sturdy jeans, hi viz jacket and a hard hat. All of these items put together means I’m going to work, going to a construction site where safety is important and cleanliness is most definitely not.

On the other hand, there’s my performing outfit that I use at our shows. A Freddie Mercury yellow jacket replica along with the classic white pants and tank top that Freddie was known for. Whenever I don this clothing, it always means that it’s time to rock out and sing my arse off.

Like a switch in my brain, my mind flips from the regular, sometimes shy, construction worker to someone who’s completely extroverted. I become this person that loves being on stage, belting out amazing music and that feeds off the energy of the audience.

It’s such a funny thing to experience. These distinct parts of people’s personality manifesting themselves through different garments.

Some people put on glasses and feel clever.

Others put on fancy dress and act the character.

I put on a yellow jacket and feel a million miles removed from a builder.

Funny how the brain works, isn’t it?

If you’re interested, here’s a video talking about the science behind it.

Anyway, that’s enough rambling for today. Will update this again soon!

About

Hello there! Welcome to my blog!

First, let me introduce myself. My name is George Stilton. I’m 42 years old. In my spare time I’m the lead singer in a Queen tribute band, aptly named 'Quen'.

The band has been together for nearly 10 years.

My day job is as builder, managing construction projects. However, my passion is singing.

Every night, whether we’re practicing or performing at a gig, I get to live all of my rock star dreams as I pay homage to rock legend, Freddie Mercury (in my eyes the greatest musician of all time).